We will also examine the idea that spiritual transformation and renewal is not something that is a surface change, but must begin in the heart and change everything in the heart as well as everything outside the heart. Along with this is the idea that any claim to spiritual transformation which we say begins with repentance, must be tested in order to prove that it is real. This is epitomized by John the Baptist who preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins as follows:

“Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of those stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn done, and cast into the fire.” 

When the conscience stricken people then asked John what they should do to demonstrate that they had repented, John then begun to give the people specific instructions as to the behaviour God expected of them.  For John this new behaviour was most important, for Messiah would come soon and “thoroughly purge his floor”. He would then “gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”.    

We will also look at the fundamentals of forgiveness. 

When we study the life of Joseph, we encounter a covenant son of God who was ill- treated by others in the covenant who were of his own blood.  They hated him, had seized him unceremoniously, stripped him of his special coat of authority and had thrown him into a pit which though empty could easily be filled in a flash flood, drowning him in no time at all.  They had listened to his cries for help, but had rather cavalierly ignored them as they sat down to a leisurely meal.   

Shortly after this they had accepted the suggestion proposed by Judah that they sell Joseph as a slave for twenty pieces of silver to some Midianite merchants passing by and this they did.  Joseph was sent off to Egypt as a slave and there he endured many years of temptation, ill treatment, harsh imprisonment and distress. His brothers had no mercy on him at all.   

One would have expected that Joseph would have had the maximum amount possible of unresolved anger, bitterness, hostility and feelings of revenge against his brothers.  The many years that he had spent in slavery and in prison should have developed a slow burn in him, which should have exploded into anger at the sight of his brothers. He would have been excused if he had plotted to get even with them for so ill-treating him many years before, callously selling him into slavery and assigning him to a fate that they thought would be worse than death. 

We should understand what Joseph should have felt, for research says that our modern society is rife with anger, hostility, emotions, attitudes and feelings that take a tremendous toll on everyone around us. We are told that approximately eighty percent of all murders are committed by people who know each other, who when they get angry grab the nearest weapon and try to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible or even inflict death. 

About twenty years ago one researcher warned that over sixty thousand children are beaten to death in North America each year, with many more suffering serious injuries inflicted by their “loved ones”.  One writer even commented that more young children in North America are killed by their parents than die of disease. So we know that anger and hostility is an ever-present danger in our society. 

Certainly, Scripture teaches that forgiveness is the answer to most of the anger we experience in life.  It reverses the bitterness and hostility that abound and it leads to reconciliation and freedom. 

Joseph shows us the fundamentals of forgiveness more than most of the great characters of Scripture. There is no chapter in the Scriptures that describes the essentials of forgiveness better than chapter 45.  

Jesus warned us that those in a relationship with God must practice forgiveness, for this is vital to fellowship with God.  So it is part of Christian responsibility to practice forgiveness. 

(See Matthew 5:43-45, Matthew 6:14, Ephesians 4: 31-32). 

But lest we believe that someone is forgiven of their sins without true repentance and its demonstration of repentance, let us consider the lessons of this chapter carefully. 

A CHANGED JACOB?

Chapter forty three shows us Jacob resorting to the same tactics he used when he was preparing to meet Esau his brother in chapter thirty three. Jacob did not seem too worried that Simeon had been left in an Egyptian jail, but now that the family was running out of food, he had to make a hard choice. 

On his sons return to Egypt for a second time to get food, he made sure that they took some presents to soften the heart of the Egyptian ruler. He had accused the brothers of being spies and demanded that they not come back without their youngest brother Benjamin, as proof that they were truthful.   

Surprisingly and ironically, the gifts that Jacob put together to soften Joseph's heart, unbeknown to him was the same list of produce that the Midianite slave trading caravan that took Joseph to Egypt transported. 

Jacob was resigned to the fact that he personally could do no more and so he expressed some level of trust in God.  He was at the end of the line and simply had to offer a prayer to God. 

IN EGYPT

Everything seemed to be going well for the brothers, for the still disguised Joseph treated them all well, especially Benjamin.  He was treated as the distinguished guest.  But unknown to them, there was still more to come. 

Chapter forty-four shows us Joseph's severe strategy to test whether the brothers were still wicked and selfish as they had been when they had sold him into slavery twenty years before. He wanted to see if they would treat Benjamin as a brother.  

He hid a valuable silver cup in Benjamin's sack of food and then after they left for Canaan rejoicing that this Egyptian potentate had treated them so well, had his servants chase after them accusing them of its theft.  They all vociferously denied that anyone of them had stolen Joseph's silver cup and volunteered that anyone in whose sack the cup was found should rightfully become the slave of Joseph, and they all should be treated as collaborators and killed. 

To their horror the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.  Their worst nightmare had come to pass.  They all tore their clothes in mourning and returned to the city in complete mental turmoil, thoroughly distressed and broken. They realized that the second favourite son of Jacob now faced slavery in Egypt, as had the first favourite son Joseph.  They were doomed! 

The brothers who had once sold Joseph into slavery had changed.  They could not leave their younger brother Benjamin to face a fate worse than death.  They were all prepared to give up their lives, prostrate themselves before the disguised ruler Joseph, beg him for mercy, and the obviously changed Judah was now prepared to take on the role of the ‘Redeemer’.  He was prepared to be different and to show that he was now being conformed to the ideal ‘King’, the servant of the people, one willing to be a slave instead of his brother. 

Would Joseph see that there was a genuine change in his brothers?  Did they acknowledge their sin?  Did they show repentance?  Did they make excuses?  Did their actions match their words? 

When confronted many people will promise with some vigour that they will never again inflict the pain they have brought to others.  But more often than not, despite their tears and promises they will repeat what they have done before over and over again.  It is commonly observed that people, when faced with the destructive consequences of their actions, will frequently say they are sorry for their actions, but it is fear of the consequences that causes their protestations of sorrow, rather than sorrow for the sin. 

So it was quite wise for Joseph to test his brothers.  He knew that people do not hate sin to any great extent and that once fear of the consequences are taken away, there will be no evidence that their life has been changed. 

One writer lists for us the changes in Joseph's brothers, changes that Joseph would have seen following his testing.  He states:

“1. They showed no resentment when Benjamin was given a larger portion. ( 43: 34).

Then this writer compares this new behaviour to their previous behaviour and adds:

“Consider Joseph's brothers:

-The same brothers who once callously ignored the cries of Joseph now have expressed regret and remorse for what they did to their brother.

-The same brothers who lied to their father about Joseph's death and broke his heart are now doing everything they can to reassure Jacob and protect him.

-The same brothers who used to act with deception and treachery are now seeking to act honorably in returning money which they knew weren't theirs.

-The same brothers who hated the children of Rachel (Joseph and Benjamin) are now promising to protect Benjamin with their lives.

-The same brothers who had once abandoned Joseph now returned to rescue their brother, Simeon.” 

There was no rationalizing, no blaming their dysfunctional family, no making any kind of excuses, no denying responsibility.  The brothers had changed. Joseph had decreed that the one found with the cup would become a slave and the rest would go back to their father in peace.  Surprisingly we have the remarkable scene of Judah offering to exchange his life for Benjamin. 

The lives of the brothers, who were now prostrate before Joseph in fulfillment of his dream, was in the hands of Joseph.  The work of the sovereign God who worked all things according to his pleasure had brought everything full circle. The brothers had bowed the knees. The dreams of Joseph were proving to have accurately predicted the future. 

The son appointed by God was now ready to save the remnant.

THE TEXT

Verse 1.  The one who tested would now be tested himself.  Judah’s amazing and emotional plea and his heroic self- sacrificial move completely unnerved Joseph. 

He was about thirty-nine years old at this time and he would've remembered the hatred of his half brothers, who led by Judah had mercilessly sold him into slavery, leaving him for many years without the comfort of a family and the support of a loving father.  He would've longed for a renewed family relationship, but he would have had to make sure what was really going on in the mind of his brothers.  Joseph was a man who was feeling powerful and probably contradictory emotions. 

When he had first seen Benjamin (43:30) we are told that his heart yearned for his brother and this so affected him that he hastily left the presence of the brothers, went into a private place and wept.  Then after that he washed his face and restrained himself and joined the feast that he had prepared for his brothers. 

He had tested them and they had passed with flying colors he could not restrain himself as he had done before. The test was over relief flooded him, for now the brothers showed him that they had changed, thus making reconciliation possible. 

This was an intimate moment, he knew that he would be reacting with great emotion, so he cried out ordering the Egyptians in the room to leave him alone with the men.  He would not want the Egyptians to see him with his pent up emotions fully released, for this might affect their view of him as an authoritative, powerful and stern figure of high rank. 

This was a moment that he knew would shock his brothers.  He would likely have to deal with the issue of their sins and that would require a high order of privacy.  Joseph certainly would not want the Egyptians to hear what his brothers had done to him, for if his brothers were to ever come to live with him in Egypt, they would be looked on as scoundrels and never held in high regard.  So Joseph would have to protect the family reputation, keeping the skeletons in the closet. So in the privacy of the family Joseph made itself known to his brothers.

Verse 2.  He was overcome with the many years of pent-up emotion.  All those years of pain, injustice and loneliness burst out and the tears flowed. 

If Joseph had thought that by having the Egyptians leave the room they would not hear the outpouring of his emotions, he was wrong. The Egyptian servants all heard Joseph's weeping and they obviously went and told the House of Pharaoh what was happening.  Everybody knew Joseph was undergoing an intense emotional experience.

Verse 3.  It is likely that Joseph spoke to his brothers in Hebrew revealing that he was Joseph, the long-lost brother who they thought they had gotten rid of.  He emphasized that he was indeed Joseph, one of them, the one that they thought was dead.  He was alive and standing right in front of them. 

This puts us in mind of the reaction of the eleven disciples who after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection were meeting in Jerusalem when Jesus stood in the midst of them.  They were startled, frightened, scared, the hair on their heads standing straight up. They thought they were seeing a spirit.  Jesus had to calm them down.  (See Luke 24: 36-39).  

Now let us be fair to the brothers.  Let us put ourselves in their shoes. They were in Joseph's house and had enjoyed his hospitality.  They had been roughly questioned before, accused of being spies, thrown in jail, then released by this man who kept Simeon locked up.   

On another occasion they had been stopped and searched and incredibly Joseph's cup found in Benjamin's possession.  They were so distraught that they all returned with Benjamin to Egypt, acknowledging their guilt and declaring that they were willing to be slaves to Joseph.  Judah then made an emotional speech asking Joseph for mercy and offering himself as a substitute for Benjamin, and pleading for mercy on the grounds that if Benjamin did not return to his father his father would die. 

They could not really understand this powerful Egyptian potentate.  His behaviour was so strange, for one minute he could be nice and other minute he could be terrible and dangerous.  

He was probably speaking in Hebrew telling them that he was Joseph.  This was the worst possible news that they were hearing. This was the worst source of anxiety possible.  This man could be so angry when a cup was stolen. But horror of horrors, he was now telling them that he was the one that they had treated so badly and sold into slavery. 

They likely felt that given the past, if he was indeed Joseph, a man in such a powerful position, that he would be impartial and accept Judah's appeal to release Benjamin.  There was no way they could hope that this Joseph would treat any of them well. They were afraid and petrified.  They probably did not even hear Joseph asking about his father. 

The first thing on Joseph's mind however was to get confirmation that his father was still alive and well.  He well knew that his final test, which required the brothers to bring Benjamin with them, would have put Jacob under tremendous stress and could very likely have killed him.  So Joseph inquired about the welfare of his father, as to his state of mind and health. 

Guilt must have flooded over them.  They remembered the anguish of Joseph's soul when he had begged them to free him. (Chapter 42: 21).  They would have remembered Reuben’s statement in chapter 42:22 when he had voiced their fears that now Joseph’s blood was required of them.  They would have recognized that all this time Joseph was listening to what they were saying and had not revealed himself.  

Joseph's revelation did not made them happy campers.  They had nothing to say.  They felt that there was no hope for mercy.  It made no sense to appeal to Joseph for anything.  So they were speechless, in total shock and dismay, for they feared the worst.  

The brother that had told them that they would bow to him now held their lives in his hand.  They had refused to believe that they would bow but they knew that they had bowed several times to him.  They had been filled with hate, spite, and envy and they had always shown it to him.  What a disaster! O for the chance to relive their lives and make up for what they are done?  Could they ever make him know they were sorry? 

They must have been thinking that God was ready to repay them for their envy and hatred, the lies and deception they had perpetrated on their father.  Now Joseph was even bringing that up and asking how their father was! The word dismay appropriately summed up their emotional state.

Verse 4.  The brothers would have run if they could have.  So Joseph changed the scene from that of a trial to a scene where he offered intimacy.  He called on them to come near to him. 

They would have probably pulled away from him for Joseph was dressed like an Egyptian with no beard or distinguishing Hebrew characteristics.  They would have known that no Egyptian would have invited Hebrews to come near to them in this fashion and so they would have understood that Joseph was inviting them to come into close fellowship with him. 

They finally responded and came near to Joseph and he repeated that he was Joseph their brother whom they had sold into slavery in Egypt.   

He did not minimize the sins of his brothers.  He brought that out into the open.  But in doing so he knew that they had come to the place where they recognized that they had committed a grave sin and had repented. (See Chapter 44). 

Since they had repented of their sins, Joseph did not need to spend a lot of time stressing the point.  Their repentance had been real.  They had been truly convicted and their hearts had been changed.  He had tested them and their behaviour showed that he was right to be filled with joy. 

Joseph knew that God had been working on him and maturing him through all his difficult years in Egypt. He did not hate his brothers. But he also knew that God had at the same time been working on his brothers, especially on Judah. 

Joseph knew that change from the inside was possible.  It might have been difficult for him to believe but he accepted that God could change even the worst sinners. 

We should remember that there is a thing called real repentance and real renewal.  We can be made new by the God of Abraham, Isaac, the God of Joseph and the God of Judah. 

If He can change Judah He can change us!

Verse 5.  Joseph gave the brothers hope.  He really loved his brothers and encouraged them not to be so fearful and angry with themselves for what they had done. God had been controlling events and protecting him all along. 

He told them that all through the entire time of distress God had been working.  God had known them and his hand had been behind every event that had occurred.  God knew what He was doing when He gave him the dreams that his family would bow down to him.  God knew that they would have sold him into slavery and God had so worked it out that in the fullness of time, he would have been elevated to the second most powerful position in the land. 

God had had a purpose.  The times had been dark and difficult for him as well as for them, but God was allowing His plan of redemption to work for the benefit of everyone. 

God's purpose was not to bring destruction but to bring salvation.  God had so worked that the evil that had been done, worked to accomplish His good and perfect purpose. He had turned the wrong that they were doing around so that good resulted.  God had sent him ahead of them to Egypt, had elevated him to a high place, so that he was able to work successfully to preserve a remnant. God had determined to preserve a remnant of the Hebrews, because he had made a covenant with Abraham.  Neither the actions of men nor the plan of Satan could thwart God’s plan.  

Note the implications. Joseph’s testing of the brothers was important and was necessary for God had decided to channel his blessings through the seed of Abraham.  It might have become obvious at this stage that this was the early phase of the fulfillment of the prophecy that the seed of Abraham would have to go into a strange land, where they would grow into a great nation and be oppressed. 

At this stage the sons of Jacob that would form the nation had to be tested and approved and purified.  They could not share in the blessing without that testing. 

Joseph was really telling his brothers that his testing of them was designed to make them acknowledge that they had done something wrong against him and then show that they had been changed. 

Clearly Joseph had a deep faith that God was omnipotent and omniscient.  He would overrule wicked men, as well as Satan and his demonic forces whose actions were designed to frustrate His sovereign will. 

It is easy for us to forget that Satan and his demonic forces are always trying to anticipate God's plan and to do whatever they can to frustrate it.  These evil beings never stop.  From the time Satan managed to get men to sin he has been working his work. 

We tend to forget that all believers are in a hot and intense spiritual warfare.  We tend to be so casual.  Sin can never be minimized and that is why God calls us to repentance and then to show fruits of repentance. 

The fact that God would work and turn the intentions of men so that his plan is accomplished, should be no comfort for those who do evil.  God hates all kinds of sin with a perfect and complete hatred. 

It is the prerogative of God to bring good out of evil.  We know that no human being or demon can do evil without God knowing.  But we also know that God can and does use evil beings as ministers of His providence.  But He insists that He hates wickedness and will punish it. 

Pharaoh had been warned that the famine would bring that part of the world into a most dreadful and horrifying state.  It would be so bad that men would never remember the previous years of plenty.  The memory of the good times would be wiped out.

Verse 7.  God was in control and knows the future.  He had sent him to save the remnant of Israel.  They would be saved by a “great deliverance”. 

Other people who would not have access to Egypt would probably have starved to death with no salvation or deliverance.  Others would have lost all their possessions.  Even in Egypt we learn that the famine became so severe that eventually the people of Egypt had to sell all their land and possessions to Pharaoh, in order to get food and save their lives. 

At the same time the people of God were protected and nothing like that would happen to them.  They would not have to give up everything they had to get food.  Their deliverance therefore would be a “great deliverance”.

Verse 8.  So Joseph again affirmed that it was not them that had really sent him, but it was God who had acted to bring him to Egypt. 

Not only did God bring him into Egypt but God had made him like a father to Pharaoh, a trusted adviser, the one on whom Pharaoh depended. God had made him second to Pharaoh, a Lord of everything that Pharaoh had and a powerful ruler throughout all of Egypt. 

So let us notice Joseph’s actions.  He took the weight of the horrible crime of the brothers off their shoulders, lifted them out of misery and self- recrimination.  He had placed everything that happened squarely under the powerful arm of divine sovereignty. He had pointed every one of the brothers to God's forgiving grace.  He taught that God could wipe away the past and heal the wounds that their sin had inflicted.  This was such a wonderful God.

Verse 9.  Since all of this was under the control of God and had worked to His glory and for the preservation of the seed of Abraham in fulfillment of God's promises, they should involve themselves in completing what God intended. 

They should hurry, go back home and bring his father to him.  God had exalted and prospered him and had used him to prepare the way to preserve His people.  Joseph wanted Jacob to stay close to him with the family, so that he would provide for them during the remaining years of famine. 

God had been great and wonderful to the family. He had elevated Joseph to a position of glory and power that there would be no doubt that the family would survive and do extremely well. 

Jacob would see that Joseph would be comforted by his position in Egypt and would not fear to bring the entire family there so that the remnant of God would be preserved. Obviously Joseph was not relying on his own ability but knew that God was with him, and had sent him into Egypt to fulfill His purpose.  He was happy to be an instrument and a tool of God.

Verse 10-11.  Jacob would dwell in the land of Goshen with their flocks and herds.  They would be near to Joseph so they need not fear.  Note that Goshen was a fertile land in the Nile Delta and the Israelites would certainly prosper there. 

Joseph vowed that he would provide for them so that they would never be in poverty.

Verse 12.  Joseph seemed to have to still fully persuade his brothers that he was really Joseph.  He seemed to have felt that they would have a task ahead of them to persuade Jacob that he was still alive and in Egypt and in such a high position and able to protect them.  The brothers and Benjamin would have to describe his glory in Egypt, giving details about what they had seen and Joseph's power to be able to fully persuade Jacob.

By this experience Jacob would have learned that he should pay more attention to God and what He wanted to do, depending less of the works of the flesh for success. Later chapters show us that Jacob did learn this lesson.

We have learned that life is a puzzle sometimes and we just do not know where all the pieces will fit.  We cannot often make sense of what is happening around us.  But we must remember that as long as we are on this earth in the flesh we have to trust God and accept that our Father in heaven knows best.   

In fact, as one writer says: “Though it may not seem so now, your present difficulty may be the instrument to your future happiness”. 

We can also learn that repentance is indispensable for genuine and lasting reconciliation.  Repentance and forgiveness go hand-in-hand. 

It is clear that once there is repentance forgiveness should be granted quickly and should not be delayed.  Anger should not persist but should be dealt with quickly.  The Apostle tells us in Ephesians 4:26-27: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity”. 

Forgiveness must be free and unconditional. It always involves some sacrifice.  It is never temporary but permanent. Note also that forgiveness does not involve overlooking sin.  It is not leniency.  Neither is it free; a price must be paid, for sin must always have a price. 

Biblical forgiveness is always designed to correct and restore the offender.  It is therefore aimed at serving the interests of the other person, even if it costs us. Forgiveness is the mark of godly character and conduct.  It is not an option but a command.  Once there is repentance there must be forgiveness. 

The need for discipline and correction is extremely important, since forgiveness of sins involves drawing the penitent and the one wronged closer together. (Hebrews 12: 5-11). 

Joseph's role in this great drama was very significant.  He was chosen to be the instrument in accomplishing God's plan of salvation and to be Preserver of the house of Israel. But important as he was, we should note carefully the following comment which compares him to Judah.  One writer states: “Joseph was not a medium of salvation in the same way as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He was indeed a benefactor, not only to his brethren and to the whole house of Israel but also to the Egyptians: but salvation, that is, spiritual help and culture, he neither brought to the Gentiles nor to the house of Israel.

In Jacob's blessing he is endowed with the richest inheritance of the firstborn in earthly things; but salvation is to reach the nations through Judah.

We may therefore without hesitation look up on the history of Joseph as a “type of the pathway of the church, not of Jehovah only, but also of Christ, from lowliness to exaltation, from slavery liberty, from suffering to glory.” 

The behaviour of Joseph certainly teaches us many great lessons, not least of which is his faithfulness to God, his dependence on God and his assurance that God's revelation to him would come to pass.  He submitted himself to the moulding and shaping of God and in doing so he worked the work of God and God preserved a remnant of his people.